My Own Photos from Shoot

 It's been so fun to hear feedback from my Vivid Hue "Homies" about the article in Hartford Magazine about Vivid Hue.  (If you missed me announcing this from the rooftops, visit here for details). 

I promised I'd share more photos from the day of the photo shoot.  These are photos I snapped before the photographer and writer arrived. 

The shoot was scheduled for a Monday in December.  I had most of the house decked out in Christmas holiday décor.   I knew the focus of the shoot would be around the Valentine's Day "Tea Party" table so I spent most of my energy styling the dining room table.  (In fact, I started slowly setting the table in November around before Thanksgiving!)  The mag mentioned that they wanted kitchen shots as well...

Kitchen Island

I usually like to use "non-traditional" colors for a holiday (e.g., instead of red and green at Christmas, I may use gold and eggplant; and instead of pink and red at Valentine's I use neutral flowers and magenta). 

Kitchen Table

Dining Room Bar Cart

I was dying for a bar cart before the shoot and convinced EG to allow me to get the Libations Cart from Crate and Barrel.  Initially, I considered loading the cart up with booze, but I could never stop downing the bottles long enough to display them.  But truthfully, I'm more of a wine and beer drinker so we didn't have much liquor to display.  That's when I got the idea to style the cart as a "side table."
I found the Target lamp on a dime ($14.99 on clearance) and scored the Miles Redd book at Antro on major sale ($25).  The rest fell into place!

 

 These little cupcakes didn't make the final cut in the magazine.  We had a great time making (and eating) the "props" from the shoot!  Also, only one tea cup was displayed so it wasn't apparent that each place setting had a different colored cup.  (PS- not complaining about the final photos in the magazine!  I'm thrilled with the vast number of spaces they displayed in my house). 

 

This angle of the flowers down the middle of the table looks busy! 

These assorted macaroons made it into the final cut in the header page!  These little guys sat on this plate for about a month (in prep for the shoot).  They went straight to the trash after!

And the shoot motivated me to restyle the inside of my dining room hutch! 

Dining Table

Kitchen

These candy jars moved multiple times before settling in the corner of the kitchen.  (I tried them in the dining hutch and on the kitchen island first).  Yes, it bugs the heck out of me that I erased the words "Vivid Hue" from the marshmallow jar and never rewrote it back...that's why only "Home" is on the label!  I started downing Chardonnay at 11am the morning of the shoot to ease the nerves so this detail went completely unnoticed until it showed up in print! 

This was an entire day process.   The team arrived around 10:30am and the photographer finished around 2:30pm.  Then I had my interview with Krystian until about 4pm.  What a fun filled and exciting day! 

PS--It seems when it rains, it pours...I will have some more good news to share with you in a few months! 

Vivid Hue Print Debut in Detail

 Yesterday I could hardly contain my excitement that the February 2014 article about my venture with Vivid Hue Home was out in pre-release.  I shared that this was my first time in "print" but didn't give many more details other than that!  Today, I'm dishing more about the article, including a link to the online version in its entirety (here). 

In the Farmington dining room of Heather Grahling—author of the Vivid Hue Home blog—a bronze convex sunburst mirror reflects a table set for a Valentine’s Day luncheon. Crate & Barrel Libations bar cart; faux snakeskin lamp from Target; peony arrangement from One Kings Lane. Phillip Jeffries’ green Moroccan grasscloth wallpaper.- Hartford Magazine, Feburary 2014 by Krystian Von Speidel

Hartford Magazine writer and contributor, Krystian Von Speidel contacted me about six months ago about doing a feature on my home and my blog.  (You may recall Krystian as host of The Fanciest Tag Sale in Connecticut).  He'd come across my blog awhile ago and said he'd filed in the back of his head the idea of doing a story about Vivid Hue Home.  He envisioned a potential Valentine's day "tea party" setting where I set the table in preparation for a brunch with my girlfriends.  Of course, I was completely in love with this idea!  The result was this article, "Heather Grahling's Vivid Hues- A Popular Blog on Decorating." 

I never dreamed my fourteen dollar Target snake skin lamp could look so good in print!  Huge thanks to Mark Mirko, the photographer for this shoot, for making my home look so wonderful.  He really has skill in manipulating himself and his camera to identify the best way to portray his art and subjects.   

 

 ".....One of these inspirational bloggers lives just down the road in Farmington. In the (two) short years since launching her blog, Vivid Hue Home, Heather Moore Grahling has evolved from a wary observer of the remodel of her home into a savvy consumer and, by turns, decorator of sophisticated interiors. "

 

 

 

 "....My sister and I always grew up loving decorating and imagined ourselves opening a furniture store,” says Heather, who yearned for a creative outlet. “I thought a blog was the best way to apply my passion and showcase what I was doing in my house.”

So, Vivid Hue Home was born, and blogging became an ideal way to learn more about the marketplace.

“I became more familiar with luxury brands while researching them for my blog posts,” says Heather, who soon gained a national following on her blog, where readers can get Heather’s tips on everything from the right trim for a window treatment to family arts and crafts. Heather credits Erin Moser’s House of Turquoise as catapulting Vivid Hue Home’s readership after Heather’s sunroom was featured on Moser’s blog..."

 

"Of course, she’s always trying something new, updating her home’s décor, which she chronicles in an infectiously enthusiastic voice that has made Vivid Hue Home notorious among dedicated followers. Unafraid of manipulating a room whose decoration is “finished,” Heather encourages her readers to offer opinions on design aspects both completed and contemplated.

“Everything is a blog-able moment,” says Heather, which is something that Eric’s gotten more comfortable with over time."

 

Guestroom: Grahling participated in a One Room Challenge sponsored by the blog Calling It Home that documented the guestroom’s transformation over six weeks. The final result—Bohemian Chic meets Palm Beach Glam—allowed Vivid Hue Home readers an inside look into Grahling’s design philosophy. Turquoise nightstand from Parker Kennedy Living; headboard, Ballard Designs; brass crane from Blaze and Bloom; vintage bedspread from Antiques on Farmington; bed linens are Serena & Lily. The walls are painted in Sherwin Williams’ Loyal Blue and the ceiling features Tempaper turquoise wallpaper Grahling cut into strips.

 There are many more juicy details in the article itself.  Please visit here for the entire feature. 

 

I am over-the-moon thrilled to have had this opportunity.  Check back soon for additional details in the preparation involved for this photo shoot.  I will also share additional photos (of my own) that weren't shared in this article! 

 

If you are a new visitor to my blog and you like Vivid Hue Home, please follow me on one of my social media outlets to receive updates on future posts! 

ALL Photos in this post are courtesy of the Hartford Magazine.  All photography by Mark Mirko. 

 

 

Vivid Hue debuts in Print

I have exciting news to share!  I'm in print!  I'm being featured in the February 2014 Hartford Magazine! 

I have more to share about this, including a link to the actual feature when it becomes available! (and more photos)   I will also dish about the fabulous photo shoot that took place back in December to prepare for this.

In the meantime, you can check out more of my house under house tour and Vivid Hue Home projects here.   

Thank you to Krystian Von Speidel for this wonderfully written article and to Mark Mirko for the amazing photographs.  It was a pleasure to work with both of you (and what a terrific experience!) 

Cheers!
Heather | Vivid Hue Home