A New Redesign

A little while ago I helped a client work on redesigning her traditional family room. The budget was small ($300) and we mostly focused on a few tweaks and rearranging the furniture to open up the space more. She has two small kids and a large extended family that likes to come and hang out too.

Here is the before (I know it’s a terrible picture, but it was taken on my phone on a cloudy day - but you get the idea):

The loveseat was blocking the awesome stone fireplace which we wanted to make the focal point of the room. The tv is on the opposite wall and therefore everything was angled to face it. We switched things around so that you can still easily view the screen, but it also flowed better in the space. Plus, it was really dark in the room (even on a sunny day) with dark couches, dark rug, dark curtains, dark pillows, etc. and we wanted to brighten it up and make it feel more inviting.

Here is the after:

The breakdown:

• bought a new lighter rug on Overstock
• new throw pillows
• new art ( the big piece over the couch and we hung a family portrait in a frame she already had and then spray painted it green to give a little more color)
• new lighter curtains (we used curtains she already owned, but wasn’t using!)
• painted it a nice taupe to give the walls more depth
• painted the mantle so that it complemented the fireplace better
• brought in a rocking chair from her living room to fill in a “naked” corner
• bought a throw blanket and floor lamp
• rearranged the floorplan to make it more open and flow better - they opted to leave out a coffee table since they loved having all the free space for the baby to play, and now just use the ottoman (and move it around) as a coffee table

An Updated Nightstand

While helping a friend of mine update her bedroom we went rummaging through her basement to see if she had anything we could use. I found these two end tables that I loved which were just sitting there collecting dust. However, she didn’t love them and didn’t want to use them even after I said I could pretty them up (they just weren’t her style). Lucky for me she told me to take them - for free! Of course I did and now I am using them as nighstands in my master bedroom.

Here is the dull and damaged before:

And some sanding, priming and purple paint after:

(Please forgive the dirty floor, half-ass styling and unmade bed. I haven’t really set up our room yet and when I went to take the picture I had the pleasant surprise of finding that my dog had peed on our comforter. Gross.)

A couple more

I’m just going to keep posting random shots of my house as I start to get rooms together. I like seeing how things develop and it helps me view what my house looks like when I step back and look from a different perspective.

I also need to get my portfolio updated so that I can share images of projects I’ve worked on. I can’t wait to start working with a couple of creative people and hopefully share pictures of their spaces as we tie everything together. And, I’m hoping to get pictures taken very soon of a small, low budget redesign I did which I will add to my portfolio.

Alas, I hope you settle for pictures of my progressing spaces.

I can’t wait to update all the blinds in my house since they are original and quite disgusting. My idea is either roman shades or bamboo blinds, I can’t decide. I also plan on getting a new little table for the breakfast nook. Right now I’m using our patio table which gets the job done, but not exactly what I’m looking for.

Oh, and the giant fork and spoon are from 1960’s Guam. My mother went to High School there and brought back some cool stuff. She gave me these and my grandmother gave my husband and I a large and amazing ethnic bust she bought while living there. She (the bust, not my grandmother) sits on the floor by our fireplace.

Working On

Touch ups and a glossy finish and we’ll have revamped dining room chairs and end tables (or, in our case, nightstands).

A few little peeks

Here are a couple more shots of my house. I’m only showing little slices because the majority of the home looks like a fraternity house after a rager (minus the piles of pretty clothes thrown on to the extra couch still needing to be sold on Craiglist - those are a statement). I feel like I might lose my mind and call the whole thing off any minute now, but since we are slaving through the last 24 hours to get everything out of the other house and clean all the dust bunnies and toilet bowls, I need to just make it through the home stretch.

I did get my husband’s office painted Safari Brown, which basically looks black. I love it and he does too so that little plan worked out. Those nasty blinds are leaving as soon as possible and I need bookshelves to house are growing library.

We got the little pot rack that my mom gave me hung. It was originally copper that I sprayed black to go with our house better. I need more hooks for more pans and clearly I need to clean my cookware much better. Hey, at least you can tell I do cook and these bad boys aren’t just for show.

Oh, and can you spot my most favorite light ever poking its’ sputnick bulbs through the opening to the dining room? I love her and all that she has brought to my house.

Office Update

I’ve been working away moving, packing, cleaning, unpacking, organizing, decorating, working on design projects and every once in a while, showering. Since I need to start work on a couple of online consults, I figured I needed to get going on my office ASAP. I started it a while ago and I am almost done with it.

I still need to get my desk more put together, so you only get pictures of the sitting area.

Please remember that this is a basement that had gross paneling and I’m doing the best I can.

A Little Inspiration

I love finding pictures of wonderfully decorated rooms and adding them to my inspiration files. Lately, I have been trying to find pictures of spaces that I gravitate toward and that complement the ideas I already have for different rooms in my house. I find it really helpful to start planning a room and then search out other similar rooms to help me tie everything together or add extra touches that I didn’t think of originally.

Here are a few pics:

Via Chicago Home and Garden

I am smitten with the color palette in this room. I think I am going to do some interpretation of this scheme in my master bedroom. Maybe a little more feminine though.

Via Honey Interiors

I already knew I wanted to paint my fireplace black, but this sealed the deal for me.

Via Carla Lane Interiors

This helped me decide to paint my dining room chairs red.

Via House and Home

I think this laundry room is adorable and I love the mix of patterns. Oh, did I tell you? We just bought a new front load washer! I’m very excited about this and now there is no doubt that I am an official adult when I am thrilled to have a fancy washing machine.

Can’t wait to get completely moved in this weekend and begin the decorating extravaganza.

Movin' on Up

Well, sort of. Anyway, the movers come this Saturday morning and we have been doing nothing but packing and moving, packing and moving. I’m finishing up a small redesign for a client and have been put on hold at a bigger project I’m helping with, due to electrical difficulties.

Though I should be doing the big productive stuff, somehow I found time today to set up a little vignette in my kitchen. It’s like an addiction, I can’t help it! Plus, that’s the fun part. Lugging a bunch of crap in melting, slushy snow is super overrated.

I was going to put oil and vinegar in the initial decanters, but I accidentally pushed the suction thingy (yes, that is the technical name) down in the glass and couldn’t get the stupid thing back out! Oh, well. At least it is starting to feel like home over there.