This adorable guy, and his twin brother are moving on up to a fancy loft in the sky.

Can’t wait to finish this space. My client has amazing taste and appreciates my aesthetic of mixing vintage with contemporary. Plus, he has a great appreciation for original art.

Perfect kind of client.

]]> http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?feed=rss2&p=777667436 0 http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667429 http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667429#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:35:08 +0000 Jessica http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667429

(“A Delicious Mess” purchased this weekend from local artist, Wayne Brekke)

Purchase what you love and what you can afford.

Try to support local artists.

Start small and work your way up. A factor in pricing art is size.

Don’t worry about matching art to your decor. You will make it work, if it speaks to you.

Some Before and Afters:

Before

After

We worked mostly with what they already had. I shopped a lot in their home and brought out vintage pieces that weren’t being highlighted (cabinet and desk). They are looking to get a new dining table and chairs that will really change things up, but till then we added a glass cabinet for storage and showcased some lovely dishes she had.

The beginning of the night. My mother-in-law brought these gorgeous flowers.

Peeps chatting.

More peeps chatting.

My husband mostly only took them at the beginning of the night. After a few beers from the keg and all the excitement, he simply forgot. I’m just glad that I have the few I do. And, no I won’t share any of me (though I would if I could, because I loved my dress!) because each one I’m in is really bad.

I had the best time ever and I thank everyone who turned out to support my new venture. Seriously, a dream come true.

It’s coming along. Still need my throw pillows to be delivered, finish painting all the trim, get some furniture in and get over the fact that a lot of my accessories won’t be here by Saturday.

T minus 3 days till the opening. Hope you all can make it!

Hand-dyed price tags and story tags.

To elaborate, story tags will be attached to many of the repurposed items. They will tell the history of where that piece was found, what it looked like before, and who had them in their lives previously.

One of the biggest compliments I have ever received regarding design, is that my home tells a story. Each piece someone comments on in approval, has something more than just its physical appearance that is captivating. You can’t do that with all new pieces, and you can’t do that with nothing but mass-produced either. You must collect and build your space and let your home have a story or two to tell.

]]> http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?feed=rss2&p=777667388 0 http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667374 http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667374#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:56:29 +0000 Jessica http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667374

(Forgive the bad picture, it is from my husband’s phone.)

While I have been in Vegas, a lovely artist, Jamie Hardy, was in the studio working on her install. My husband sent me this picture and I’m in love with it! She is so sweet and talented and just finishing her BFA from UNO.

A close-up. Yes, they are dump trucks and they are screen printed and cool.

]]> http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?feed=rss2&p=777667374 4 http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667362 http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667362#comments Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:55:26 +0000 Jessica http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667362 I’m in Las Vegas, attending Market, which is pretty awesome. Not so awesome, is the fact that I can’t even get a regular coffee without it costing $10 (yes, I’m exaggerating but you get the point). Worth it though, because look at what I have already snagged for Birdhouse Collectible.

More to come.

They were found, sprayed red, and turned into a crazy light fixture.

(Plan on switching out the plain, incandescent bulb for a lovely, Edison light bulb.)

The view as you walk inside from the front door.

(The other lights were finally hung too.)

Looking from my office toward the front door. There are a million things left to do and the clock is ticking.

]]> http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?feed=rss2&p=777667356 4 http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667351 http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667351#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:38:36 +0000 Jessica http://blog.birdhouseinteriors.com/?p=777667351

Will live in here. Or Jelly Beans. Or sour gum balls.

(Yes, the trim is getting painted – glossy black. But, aren’t my floors gorgeous?)

She’s newly reupholstered and looking a little sassy.

Available at Birdhouse Collectible by August 21.

She already had a wood and iron coffee table, cool mirror, and awesome wood floors. The room can be used for entertaining, TV watching, or hanging with the kids (hence the trunk for extra toy storage).

Walls are painted and floors are sealed.

Inspection tomorrow, then baseboards on and move stuff in. Yay.

Vintage Hobnail Booze Decanters. I might have to keep them for myself.

Only two will be in the showroom, so having one would make you special and fancy.

It now has a lovely, linen fabric that is dying to have an insanely patterned throw pillow snuggle up to it (and not a laptop cord creeping behind it). Hopefully, I can take a photo in the showroon with such a perky pillow.

Now to frame it beautifully. It will be available at Birdhouse Collectible at the end of the summer. 

(Myself and the talented Becca Herskovitz.)

Britney showed up.

Puppy napped.

Time to eat again. Hope you had a good holiday weekend. 

All images from La Dolce Vita. 

Here is his sketch of the proposed table.

It is Parsons style in 2 types of wood. He explains it better here. (Though, I’m not a part of Camp Coworking Space, that is a separate thing. I am just in the Mastercraft building with them.)

I love it and can’t wait for it to be front and center in the new space. 

Light #1. I’ll call her Daisy. 

Light #2. Meet Sunny. 

Close up of Daisy. She’s pretty.

2 down. 2 more to go. Best job ever. 

Next up is the kitchen (mostly the breakfast nook).

Before:

Terrible arrangement, terrible floors, old appliances and that arch completely cut the space in half and made the kitchen almost non-functional. Oh, and it was so dark even with three large windows. 

After:

About 4 million times brighter and 17 times more storage and workspace. Plus, it’s much prettier and who doesn’t like pretty? 

The breakfast nook never got used for eating and since the dining room is directly off the kitchen, it was slight overkill to have two tables very close to one another. A lovely sofa fills the space much better and is an extra space for conversations during a party or serves as a charming spot to read a book or chat with the chef. 

*Note* All of this series is actually the story of my (and Christopher-the husband and Lisey-the dog) new (old) house. As much as I would love to share tons of pictures of all my client’s designs, in truth decorating someone’s home is a long process. So either I’m not completely done with spaces – usually due to very busy people and not huge budgets, they have been too small to chronicle for you – bookshelf restyling, color consults, etc., or a few people have requested that I don’t share images of their private space. That said, I am finishing up a couple of really cool spaces this summer and should be able to share the images with you not too long from now. 

 I figure it is always fun to feel like you are part of the creative process. Lucky for you, I feel very comfortable sharing all of my personal spaces and the new office/showroom design plan with you. I hope that is interesting enough to make up for a lack of client space right now!

I’m currently obsessing over the decor (and inventory) for Birdhouse Collectible. While out thrifting last week, I came across some really cool, vintage paint brushes. I think they would look amazing in an artist or designer’s studio. For now, they will be a fun little accent which will display at the shop.

(See what I did there with the title? Art = paint brushes and they will be on display. Oh, I’m a clever one). 

Before:

Gross, completely no light, ugly carpet and that chandelier makes me gag. 

After:

Added french doors to access the backyard, took up the ugly carpet to get to the hardwood floors, new paint and new sputnick light. 

Better, right?

Mixing the inexpensive shelves with a splurge piece (the art) makes everything seem a bit more sophisticated than a whole wall of janky bookcases (not that these are). 

A collection of vases.

Gerry, the giraffe. 

Vintage Native American textile from New Mexico. 

Adorable notebooks that will be available at the store! I’m keeping one of the houndstooth books for myself.

Also, I scored this vintage lamp while having a delightful time up in Minneapolis/St. Paul this past weekend. I’m going to use it for my studio as task lighting for my drafting table. 

If you are in the area, you must get your shop on with the stores on the Retro Loop. 

Until next time. 

Most times I repaint the frames of chairs that need updating. But this beauty, and her worn arms, demanded that I leave her as is. I love seeing the history in this chair, and with it recovered in a bold and more modern print, I think it is a good combination. 

Yes, I realize that it is a bit over-the-top, but shouldn’t every room have one chair that is a little insane and a good conversation starter? (And, in real life it is a bit more subdued. I am completely incompetent with a camera.)

When I chose this fabric for this adorable ottoman, my upholsterer was a little taken aback. Then, when he started to recover it, he conceded that yes, it was pretty cool. 

They will both be available this summer at Birdhouse Collectible. 

In an effort to be transparent, something talked about in great length at Big Omaha this past weekend and a value that I believe strongly in, I want to let everyone know that I will be raising my hourly rate. Starting Monday August 2, 2010 my rate will become $40/hr. I know that seems like sort of a large jump, but let me explain why.

1. It will be a year that Birdhouse has been open.

2. Birdhouse Offices and Birdhouse Collectible will be open which will make more items and services available.

3. I am now a Certified Interior Decorator, which means that I have access to many more “to-the-trade” discounts. 

4. I will still be really affordable compared to the industry norm. In order to be as efficient as possible and since I offer 1 hour consults, I am deciding to value my time a bit more. (Sometimes, I lose money because I feel bad charging and I am changing that attitude for better or worse).

That said, hurry and send me an email or give me a call if you want my current rate! Also, for any current clients, I will honor the rates that have been quoted to you and any further work/projects with be at the existing hourly rate. 

We’ll be updating the website portfolio this week. 

Currently Birdhouse offers basic and advanced online packages. How boring does that sound? So, we are working on overhauling all the online options into something much more understandable (and detailed, as the 2 generic options are quite vague) and break down costs based on the type of room one wants help with. Stay tuned for several changes (good ones!) to the Birdhouse brand.  

Here is a small peek at the book a client receives in the mail when they purchase an advanced option (soon to have a much cooler name). Included are, a rough illustration-style room rendering, floor plan, fabric and paint swatches, furniture and accessory ideas, and inspiration pictures. 

Cover of the book.

An example of a rough Room rendering. 

Btw, I am going to start speaking in terms of “we” when I refer to business ideas and operations. I had a great conversation with someone the other day who said I needed to stop thinking of Birdhouse as and “I” thing even though right now I have no employees. He said that, I hope to grow the business and hire employees and that the business is an entity in itself. We are sort of a team. I’m not relaying as well as he did to me, but it makes complete sense to view a business as a business even when your heart and soul is in it. If you only look at it as a pet project and get hurt and rejected when someone doesn’t appreciate your “baby” you will never get ahead. The best combination is when you love it, but are not completely defined by it. 

Allow me to introduce you to the future Birdhouse Interior Design Consulting offices and Birdhouse Collectible furniture and accessories showroom. 

Vaulted ceilings when you first enter. Oh, and the natural light coming in makes me weak at the knees. 

Gahhh! I love those windows!

The back area that will be my office. More lovely light pouring in. 

As you can see, the space is still lacking some walls and other basic room essentials, but the construction is moving along nicely. Can’t wait to share more!

Anybody out of state interested in an online consult just email design@birdhouseinteriors.com

Attending our friend Jamie’s art exhibition opening.

After that, enjoying a lovely sushi dinner here. 

Saturday 

Gettin’ mah hair did here.

Then, taking the pup for a little lesson in being a “lady”. 

Lastly, enjoying myself at the CD release party for The Mynabirds at Slowdown. 

That’s me, second from the left. Now, go pick up a copy and check out everyone in the issue!

The lights are so great and I think something like this (minus the coffee maker) would be fantastic for a laundry room. 

prettyspace:

Moomah: Creative Arts Cafe (by decor8)

Take the tour here.

We are working over the next few months, so I will try to post updates.

Love that they aren’t hung perfectly and that it has been added on to over time.

Do you blame me, for wanting my headache to feel better by gazing about such awesomeness?

A couple of things on my radar:

These bad boys. (Or the solid red).

Pretty and affordable.

I’ve been crushing on these shades for some time and found them on Ebay for half the price.

Too bad this is sold out.

I do have a birthday at the end of the summer. Maybe I could justify grabbing at least one of these. 

So, the little nook needs more done including, curtains hung on the other windows and possibly roman shades too. Plus, I would love to find some really interesting pillows that would give the area a little boho flair. Oh, and maybe lamps. I think some silver floor lamps would look pretty nice flanking each side, but I’m not sure yet.

But, I love it so much and it is really comfortable. Last night my husband and I took turns laying on it while the other chopped veggies for dinner. 

A little teaser (courtesy of my terrible photography skills) till the photos that Catherine took are up on the website. Yay for updating portfolios! Clients, be prepared for a photo shoot of your homes in the near future. 

It was so beautiful today which made me realize that I am a much better person after winter is over. Fresh flowers, fresh herbs, and sunshine beat dark, dreary and stale any day. 

Happy Spring. 

Another piece of furniture that had no chance of making it was our old headboard. This didn’t really bother me because I wanted to go a different direction anyway. (And, I’m refinishing it and hope to sell it.) That said, I discovered a clever way to reuse a sentimental piece and get myself a headboard.

This is an old barn door from the house my in-laws used to live in when my husband was growing up. My mother-in-law had the window taken out of the door and turned it into a mirror for my husband (I think his sisters got one too). It was always a little too short to really use as a stand-up mirror, so I thought, let’s screw it to the wall and use it as our headboard. 

It was the perfect size to our queen bed and I loved the way the room reflected in it. (Though, it’s a little sad looking now.)

As you can see, the other side table is missing as it’s getting painted and the room has got a lot of work to do. I plan to update as more gets done. 

Honestly, the pictures do not do this piece justice. She is an amazingly talented artist and when I someday reach my goal of opening up a storefront, her artwork will be one of the local artists that I hope to showcase. 

First up, our little main floor hallway. I am attempting to make it a makeshift library and I like the direction it is headed. We love books in our household. In fact, it kind of freaks me out when I go in to someone else’s home and I can’t find a single book. To me, the number one thing to make a house feel more inviting is having tons of books around. 

That said, here is a shot of our hallway ending in our guest bedroom (that is still a work in progress like every other room in the house). To the right is the dining room and on the left is the linen closet that I turned into a library which has been updated a bit more. 

A terrible shot (I am a very bad photographer) of the bookcase I added with art I did of haphazard letters that do form a small snippet of a line from a Loudon Wainwright song “Strange Weirdos”. 

Also, on the bookcase are my awesome new “7 deadly sins” votives. I think humor and whimsy should be part of your decor as much as any amazing designer piece should. 

Have a great weekend! 

Just finished painting the mirror and the bench (and another similar bench).

Plus, recovered the seat(s) in an awesome, white snakeskin vinyl. 

I’m working with a lovely client, who lives outside the city, on an entire house remodel. She has done a fantastic job with picking many of the finishes already, but I am working with her on lighting, floor plans, color palette and much of the decor. 

Since it is such a large project and she lives a couple of hours away, it is a slow process. But I can’t wait to finish up a few rooms and share some photos with everyone. 

Above is a little tease of a moodboard created for their living room. She has some adorable, vintage channel back chairs from her family that we want to recover and work into the design plan (the black and white fabric complements the dining room rug which can be seen from the living room). We will do this by blending some vintage and clean-lined contemporary. There is so much more to share and I can’t wait to get out there again.

But I thought we could take this sad excuse for a closet and make it a library.

So…

The door came off, the shelves were painted black (still need to paint trim where the hinges came off), the books were organized by genre, and little labels were applied to make it easy to find the type of book you are looking for.

There are still a few tweaks that need to be made, but I love it already. The most convenient part is that it is right next door to the guest room which makes it easy for friends or family to grab a book to read in bed.

Happy Birthday wise man!

March 2, 1904.

Minus the fact that I chose a dress that makes me look pregnant (note to self: put on a belt and look like you have a waist!), I loved what she was able to do with my awkwardness in front of the camera. Plus, she was super fun to work with by making me laugh and feel slightly less weird as I attempted (and mostly failed) to pose like a model.

And, much better:

More pictures to come once the room is finished.

I was getting really sick of a nasty, snowy mess constantly being in our entryway from shoes that we had to take off every time we entered the house. So, after seeing a similar idea from Martha (I think) I made a little landing station for our shoes.

I took an old cookie sheet, spay painted it red, added some river rock and that was it. Now we can put our shoes on the rocks and they absorb the messiness. That way our little doormat doesn’t get completely nasty too.

(Please overlook the weird, yellow tint in the pic. I took it under our lamp in the kitchen which casts a yellow glow. Lesson learned.)

Yes, I can cook (not great, but good enough). Yes, I like to do such things and I’m pretty sure my husband likes that I like to do such things too. In the past I would have included more meat (other than seafood) in our cuisine, however as of late I am a no beef, chicken, turkey or pork kind of girl. I feel pretty great about this and I’m coming up with more and more recipes that are tasty enough that my husband doesn’t miss his meat.

Case in point, last night’s dinner was something along the lines of an Asian soup. I’ll share the ingredients with you, but I never measure things (except when baking) so you will have to go by taste like I do.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat angel hair pasta
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• Sliced mushrooms
• Napa cabbage
• Garlic, minced (probably 1-2 cloves depending how how much you make and how much you like garlic – we love it)
• 1 Mexican green onion, chopped
• Shrimp (I used pre-cooked, frozen but fresh is way better)
• Handful of fresh basil, chopped
• Ginger (fresh or powder – to taste, but I’d guess about 1 tsp)
• Juice of half a lemon
• Vegetable stock (enough to cover your vegetables, but depends on how “soupy” you want it)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil (maybe 2 tsp)

Then you:

• Cook your noodles and set aside
• Start sauteing your hard vegetables (onion, celery, carrot) in the oil
• Add in garlic
• Then add the rest of your veggies and ginger
• Transfer everything (noodles too) to a big pot and pour vegetable stock over
• Add salt and pepper and shrimp if they are pre-cooked (if not, cook them first)
• Heat everything and let it simmer for a bit
• Eat

I know that peacock is so trendy right now, but I am still loving it. That said, I needed to fill an empty space on my living room wall and I wanted something a little different. So I found these pretty feathers that I had lying around and a ugly, generic print inside a decent black frame that I wasn’t using. I simply cut the feathers to fit the frame, flipped over the ugly print so that it was just the white backing and placed the feathers on top. I put everything back in the frame, and there you go – an original little piece of art.

I love the mix of patterns in this bedroom. And, can I please have the rug for my house? I’ll pay you in love and adoration.

This is really someone’s house. They walk down those stairs and catch the view out those windows. I’m more than a little jealous.

Say what?! I must figure out a way to DIY something like that. Seriously, I want to break into this house and steal everything.

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

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.)

Working on the living room. The blinds are still making me crazy, but we are certainly making progress.

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.

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

A moodboard from another Client File for a master bathroom update. Sourced from Overstock, CB2, Target, Home Depot, Pottery Barn, Lampsplus.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Man, I love a glossy black door. Another thing to add to my to-do list is paint our french doors off the dining room a lovely, shiny, super-duper black and then bask in their sultriness.

Did a fun interview at Good Life for Less. Go check it out and I’ll give you a cookie.

Here is the room now:

Add a couple of coats of paint in this:

And:

1. Headboard: Target $379.99 2. Lamp: Home Decorators $79 (x2) 3. Nightstand: IKEA $79.99 (x2) 4. Bedding: Room and Board $199 + $79 (x2) 5. Pillow: Anthropologie $98 6. Pillows: Etsy (mariecozycushions) $38 7. Armless Chair: Crate and Barrel $399 (on sale) 8. Knit Pouf: CB2 $79.95 9. Art: Etsy (haleh) $35

Total: $1,704.92 Budget: $2,500 – leaves room to grow and add more accessories!

So, I just spent more than I wanted to…but I am going to be totally awesome now, so it’s cool. Do you not see what a statement this gorgeous sputnick light is going to make?! Yes, you say? Well, wonderful because I can now tell my husband that you all agree and that I should get a fancy new light for our dining room instead of another new gadget he wanted. Plus, it really was a pretty good price* in the grand scheme of things. Promise.

Glad we had this chat.

*It was $100 dollars less than the one I posted on twitter yesterday.

**Those ugly stickers come off. At least that is what the ebay seller says. If they do not, I may have to kick some teeth in.

I said I would update when this room was about 50% done and I think it is about there. Obviously, there are still many things left to do like, oh I don’t know, hang the other set of curtains! Didn’t quite have a chance to get those up today as I had to meet the termite guy at the other house.

Also, let’s add getting rid of those ugly blinds and hanging some bamboo shades to the to-do list. That chair is getting out of there as well. Bring in a dresser, a much cooler chair, probably a bigger bedside table, get some sheets (geesh!), add some trim to the curtains, hang the mirror I spray painted glossy red, add some accessories, and I might be close to done in there.

*I changed my mind about the canvas and fabric. Figured I could save some money and use some art that I already had.*

I was just hired to do some art for a kid’s playroom and I am really excited about it. I recently watched “Tin Man” which was a super cool mini series on the Syfy network. It is basically a re-imagined “Wizard of Oz” and the imagery is beautiful, the story is really interesting, and it has my girl Zooey Deschanel in it!

Anyway, I was very inspired by the fantastical world that is “the OZ” and now want to do a series of illustrations based on the characters and that world.

Stay tuned, and I’ll share as I go.

Anyway, here is a lovely room from Erinn Valencich:

And here is my take on things:

Chaise: Urban Outfitters, $550 Mirror: Ballard Designs, $119 Rug: Overstock, $226.99 Unicorn Pillow: Etsy (pinkbabymouse), $25 Lumbar Pillow: Etsy (nenovan), $25 Hypno Pillow: CB2, $14.95 Side Table: Target, $299.99 (for a 3 piece set with coffee table) Mid Century Lamp: PapernStitch, $85 Vintage Ceramic Quail: PapernStitch, $14

Total: $1,359.93

For some reason the first room I’m beginning to tackle is the guest bedroom. I am by no means anywhere close to finishing this room. Actually I would say I am about 18% done.

But, here is the before pic:

Here is where it is at now (remember – far from done):

So it still needs a million and one things, like curtains, a blanket in some shade of blue, art, etc. One thing I do think I am going to do is buy some fabric and cover 1 or 2 big canvases and use them as a headboard. I’m thinking of using this:

(not sure, but something like this)

Ok, I’ll update again when I’m about 50% done.

Ok, if someone could do such an awesome job in a basement with no ceiling, then I have a shot to make my little paneled wonder shine.

Off to make things pretty.

Why can’t I have gorgeous french doors leading into my amazing dining room?

Via My New Favorite Blog.

Doing a little giveaway over at Bosley Creative which is headed up by a very talented local photographer, Catherine Bosley. Check it out on her blog!

Here was an easy update to a rather boring wicker chair.

Where it started:

And where it ended up:

Much better. Don’t you think?

1. Royal Animal Candles: Anthropologie 2. Everyone Can Fly Pillow: Etsy (Olive) 3. Steps Pillow: Etsy (norajane) 4. Cable Back Cropped Sweater: Piperlime (Free People) 5. 30” Round Birds of a Feather Rug: Urban Outfitters 6. Ad Hoc at Home: Amazon 7.Study Hall Satchel: ModCloth 8. SheGossips, But Quietly Headband: Old Soul, New Heart

Little peeks at the progress of my office. Forgive the terrible lighting (working on that!) and the giant television. I do like a tv on sometimes while I work and currently I am not able to invest in a pretty flat screen, hence the only extra one we have that is giant and boxy. Hopefully that will change in the future.

This is the way I organize my thoughts. I have to write things down or my brain bounces all over the place.

Absolute perfection.

I really want to add some original art to my new office space. I have found a bunch of stuff on Etsy that I like, but need to wait to buy for myself until after the holidays. So, until then I went back and looked at some of the stuff that I have made over the last couple of years and saw this little print which I think could look pretty cool.

Hint to family and friends reading: presents for me this holiday season – original art would be rad.

Get your living room and dining room done. Get your master bedroom and master bathroom. Your choice!

Here are a couple sampled parts of previous Client Files, so you can get a better idea.

This was for a den update (and mostly traditional/transitional tastes) on just $300! We just added a few accessories to make the space brighter, but still pretty neutral as that was what the client requested.

This was inspiration for a master bedroom update. Again, on a pretty strict budget and traditional tastes.

Sourcing for a chic, but somewhat eclectic den/office. Used darker brown/gray walls and sourced from Etsy, Ikea, Urban Outfitters, CB2, Overstock, Z Gallerie, and Anthroplogie.

It would be a great time to get ideas and direction for warm and comfortable spaces that you can snuggle up in while the weather is gloomy and cold!

So, it isn’t done yet, as that is the goal for this weekend. But, I can show you my plans for it, along with what it looked like growing up (if you add some drawers and take away the primer on the sides!).

We have this:

+ this (on the 3 vertical drawers)

+ this (SW Dovetail paint color or something similar)

+ white trim in the grooves of the drawers + spray painted gold hardware on the rest of the piece

= loveliness. Or hopefully something close to loveliness.

Come to mama, you sexy beast.

Part of an entire house color consult. I’m so excited to get started on the decorating for this client since she has amazing taste. I’ll keep you posted.

Hey there gorgeous aqua colored subway tile. I think I like your style. Maybe you can come and hang with the white subway tile in my house. Obviously, you play nice with those guys.

Let’s give this a try.

I found this rug for a client’s den update and I about died at the fabulous price ($116 for a 5’9” x 9’2” rug!). It is from Home Decorators which is a little like Marshalls or T.J. Maxx, a lot of crap but some wonderful things if you hunt.

P.S. It was only $132 after shipping. A pretty good deal.

Um, so it’s not too much to look at in the middle stages, but it is an improvement. I hate that you can barely see the very light purple color on the formerly hideous paneling. But it is there and I like it in real life. Also, we got some carpet down (remnant for pretty cheap) and some actual drywall up in the stairway so that it didn’t look like a crack den anymore.

I still need to paint the trim (think I am going for black!), paint the stairs (maybe black there too!), get a new light, get furniture down there, decorate, and on and on and on…

sweethomestyle:

hennypotter:

Now, this is scary! Happy Halloween people!

So, the husband and I are moving! I’m pretty excited about it because there is a big backyard that our new puppy can run around in and be happy as a clam. However, this also means I have to move my office and take a pretty sad looking basement and make it look like a designer’s office. Not an easy task!

I figured that I would share the process of putting it together since we are doing it on a shoestring budget. Check out the BEFORE pictures above and stay tuned for the midway point (we have already put some drywall up to make a real stairway and put in some carpet) later this week. Then hopefully the AFTER sometime next month. I said, hopefully!

A new color consult. I have been doing them, but need to add this to the services page.

Most people don’t live in one house for their entire lives. Usually people upgrade as their family gets larger, they make more money, or move to another city. But, there is nothing more special to a person than their first house. Their first major purchase that is such a right of passage into committed adulthood and a marker for things to come.

I think art should be personal to each individual and I am not a huge proponent of buying generic prints at big chain stores. I love to try and get as much original art for a space as possible. The trick can be finding great pieces that one with a more restricted budget can afford.

Lucky for you I know an amazing artist who does commissions (among many other things) for happy homeowners of their beloved homes (wonderful for a first-time homeowner to always remember their first place!). Caolan O’Loughlin is based out of Omaha and has current projects focused on homes in the historic Field Club area of town.

Click on the picture to go to Caolan’s website to get more information.

An oldie, but goodie. I recovered this little Target stool some time ago. I used an old sheet we had and added my own drawing of a peacock (I made it into an iron-on) then spray painted the legs a high gloss blue.

It has been around a bit, but I thought I would put it up on Birdhouse for another round.

Inspiration picture for my client’s Den redesign. Oh, so purdy.

Fall wedding. No guestbook, just leaves for guests to leave a note.

A little boring before. With a couple coats of paint and new hardware… a much better after. Low-cost redo. Lovely.

Early Stages of A Fourth of July Fiesta.

Reception Treats!

Wedding Flowers

(via sweethomestyle)

I guess this picture is going around! How fun, since it is the bathroom I designed.

I made this pendant light. I’m thinking about making many more.

Just the front page of Jamie’s converted attic bedroom “client file”. She likes traditional, dark woods and neutral colors. We added some style with the bookcase, rug, and art.

Mediterranean spread.

Intimate wedding idea: place wedding photos from your parents and grandparents on mantels or tables during wedding/reception.

Deck option 1.

Easy Backyard Brunch