Garland and Lanterns and Candles, Oh My!

Such a pretty holiday set-up we pulled together at a client's house on the fly.  

And that Beni Ourain doesn't hurt either!  

P.S. Do you see that sofa fabric in the background? #Jealous #ClientsHouseIsCoolerThanMine

DIY Chalkboard Makeover.

A $7 estate sale investment got the royal chalk paint treatment 

(frame and all).  

Added bonus: the frame acts as a tray for favorite photos and chalk- 

helping us stay organized and pretty.   

Happy weekend everyone!  Hope it's warm and cozy.   

Our Painted Piano and DIY Malachite Bench.

If our piano growing up was peach or lemon yellow I bet I would have practiced a lot more.

Before, a sad empty living room corner.  

And the movers bringing in what they lovingly referred to as "the heaviest piano ever."  I joke. 

I found this beauty on Craigslist for next to nothing.  She was worse for wear when I found her, but nothing some green paint couldn't fix. 

Even though there was no doubt I'd be painting the piano, this decision was solidified once we got her in the space.  This finish just didn't do her justice.  #lifeistooshortforabrownpiano   

As for the bench, it sat in its original state for quite some time.  I finally decided a monochrome, green-on-green look would be fun and decided to make things interesting with this faux malachite technique I'd been dying to try.  It was so easy and instantly gratifying!  Such a fun way to inject some pattern to the otherwise solid piano.  I would definitely recommend this DIY.

I think this is really a lesson in living with what you love.  By no means am I a technical player, so for us painting the piano wasn't terrible from a sound / quality standpoint (I'm sure some of you serious musicians out there cringe at the sight of our painted instrument).  But we really love it.  This little corner of our house brings me such joy now, whether the piano is being played or just sitting silent.  And I'm such a proponent for a happy home!  So I say if you want to paint you piano (or do malachite walls or paint your ceiling blue or layer a rug on a rug on a rug) do it!  You won't regret it, I promise.  

Closet Half Way Point.

Incase you forgot the before...

Here's a bit of the after. It still needs quite a bit of zhushing and styling, but so much better than the before.

The IKEA system is wonderful. I love how easy it was to customize and create exactly the set up you're after.
It's so nice having a space to see everything finally- I feel like my clothes have always been all over the place (and the floor). But even if you don't have a walk-in closet, you could install a set exactly like mine above along a wall of a bedroom and curtain off the whole thing. I wish I had done this in my apartment with a small closet.
Remember that cedar wall I was excited (and nervous) to install? Well it worked! It looks great and imparts texture, character, and the faint smell of cedar. Win, win, and win.
Don't mind the white peaking through. We still need to fill a few gaps.

We have a nook in one corner that has drawers. I love these things. They're on the shallow side so each drawer is filled with one type of clothing and there isn't wasted space.
Scarved in one, shorts in another, unmentionables neatly organized in a third.
Summer, me and my shorts are ready for you!

Bedroom Updates.

Some changes in the bedroom since the other day. I love how there's so much more life in that space now, yet it still feels relaxing and retreat-like.

The swing arm lamps look great and make reading in bed feel like such a treat.

I picked up these framed birdies at a favorite secondhand furniture store of mine. They are full of color but are still a bit subdued. I'm using these pieces as my jump point now for additional color and will pull a green from them for the side tables. I'm seeing blue plaid or buffalo check curtains to really finish off that wall as a focal point of the space.

I also found this little guy for $5 that adds some visual interest to the floor.

Can't wait to have this space finished! So close...

A Little Pretty For The Walls.

So excited it's Friday! I've got a lot of DIY-ing planned for this weekend I can't wait to get it underway. Any fun plans? Also excited to share this project with you today. One of those that makes me happy every time I look at these beauties!

A few summers ago I found this pair of frames for $6 at a garage sale. I was instantly drawn to the faux bamboo frames and new with a little love these guys could be transformed.

The art in them wasn't particularly bad, but the dingy background never seemed to work with my decor. Part of me still looks at them and really wishes they worked, but they just didn't. I'm a long time lover of Natural Curiosities, and love these prints in particular. But sadly they are beyond out of my price range at this point.

But that didn't stop me! Here's how I recreated the look for less.
I traced the size of the art onto a piece of Kraft paper. I have a roll of it but paper grocery bags do the trick, too.

Next I watered down white paint so it was thin enough to be transparent on the paper. I wanted the paper to look textured somewhat like linen so I brushed white across the entire paper vertically. Next I brushed the same way horizontally to give a cross hatched texture.

I didn't have any ink on hand, so I mixed blue and black water color to achieve the same look. Then I simply freehanded flowers, trying not to be overly perfect with the thickness of the lines and the flower in general. If you're not comfortable going freehand, sketch the flower out first then paint over your lines. If you really don't fancy yourself an artist, have your kids draw the flowers. The beauty of line drawings like these is the imperfect quality to them. Even if the "ink" gets smudged a bit it looks great!

While I had the frames off, I gave them a few coats of spray paint. I started out with a dark blue, but it was too bright. So while it was still wet I took some black spray paint I had on hand and sprayed a light coat on top of the blue. I love the color I got from this technique. Practically black with a bit more character.

Not the most revolutionary DIY, but I love the idea of taking really inexpensive (garage sale, thrift shop, estate sale finds etc.) frames of great quality and making them your own. Framing is uber expensive so this is a great way to get the look for less. And even if you're not an artist you can always use the frames for a pair of photos or art you purchase online.

Happy weekend!

Bedroom Before and After.

This bedroom was an exercise in restraint. My client wanted a peaceful place to go at the end of the day. A padded headboard and neutral color palette were also on her wish list. The before pictures include the previous home owners furniture and decor.

Before:

After:

We scaled back on the furniture. Smaller size night stands suit the clients storage needs and make the space feel larger.

Hotel linens are a tried and true classic and work with almost any design style.

This fabric was our starting point. My client and I both feel in love with it and planned the rest of the room around the curtains!

The wonderful shape of the headboard is highlighted by the nailhead trim. I love the toughness it lends to the curvy shape.

Mercury glass, silver, and natural finishes combine for a very tranquil look.

I love bedrooms that are a retreat. Such a luxury!

March Madness 4 / Styling A Coffee Table and Sofa.

Such a fun part of the job! Here's how I styled our English roll-arm sofa and massive coffee table.

The bolster pillow in the middle is the only new one in this collection. It came as a pair at HomeGoods. Nothing new, but just incase you're a styling newbie, HomeGoods is hands down one of the best sources for home accessories at affordable prices. I use pieces from here on every client project no matter the budget.

When shopping at HomeGoods for a project, I always leave with a brimming cart multiple brimming carts full of goodies. The trick is to overbuy, take everything back and style with a large arsenal, then return whatever you don't use. Even the best eye can't always pinpoint exactly what you will need to complete a look. Play around with different options until you get it just right.

All of the "things" you see on the coffee table (ie the candle sticks, vase, and natural elements like coral and barnacles) are from estate sales, hands down the best place to source one of a kind accessories practically for free.

A basket filled with blankets near a fireplace is a styling must.

Another great trick: conceal your remotes when not in use in a decorative box (easy access and pretty all at the same time).

Thanks for stopping by! See you lovelies later!

March Madness 3 / Fireplace Before and After

A huge change we made to the house was modernizing the fireplace. It had so much potential, but a few things just weren't right. Watch how we transformed her into the focal point she deserves to be!

Here's the before. Hard to look past the rust carpet and yellow walls, I know.

And here's the after.

First I scrubbed the entire surface with this Simple Green cleaner. No harsh chemicals here, thank you very much! This step helped, but the stone still wasn't bright enough.

My next idea was to layer on new brighter grout over the existing grout. (**Please note the grout turns out brighter than you would think. I bought two shades thinking this one would be too dingy, but the brighter one was way too harsh. Experiment with different grout shades the same way you would try paint colors on your wall.**) This was working well, until I stepped back and realized each stone now had a bright white outline around it. Too jarring.

The next step was definitely a risk, but it made all the difference. I took a small amount of grout and rubbed it over the stone, then wiped most of it away with a damp rag. This wash really brightened the fireplace up but didn't effect the integrity of the stone.

Now for the wonky angled portion. I've seen this shape done well a few times, but most of the time I don't like the tapered top. We also wanted to put our TV above the fireplace (read: I was out-voted. The decorator in me died a small death that day. That being said, based on our floor plan this is the best spot for a TV). We removed the stone and framed out the top so the drywallers could work right over it. What a difference that made!

In an effort to save a buck, we toyed with the idea of refinishing the existing screen flat black instead of buying a new one. The sample area looked pretty good, so we removed the screen to spray it with a high heat-resistant spray paint. As soon as we saw the fireplace without the screen we knew she was off to stay.

It took some time to get the fireplace just right, but it was definitely worth it. Sitting next to the fire makes anything feel like a luxury, even folding laundry or doing work. Simple pleasures!